Specifically, Phan Quoc Viet, General Director of the Viet A Company, and Nguyen Thanh Long, former Minister of Health, appealed for reducing their penalties. Vu Dinh Hiep, Deputy General Director of the Viet A Company asked the court to reconsider the charge on him.

The other 10 defendants asked for reduction of their sentences.

Viet A Company also filed an appeal requesting not to confiscate the money gained illegally from selling test kits to organisations and individuals that were not prosecuted in the case. It asked the appeal court to lift restriction measures on bank accounts of Viet A and its affiliates that are not related to the case.

In the first-instance trial from January 3-12 with 38 defendants, Viet was sentenced to 29 years in jail for giving bribes and violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences. Long was sentenced 18 years in prison for taking bribes.

Chu Ngoc Anh, former Minister of Science and Technology, and Pham Cong Tac, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, were sentenced to three years in prison for violating regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness.

Pham Xuan Thang, former Secretary of the Hai Duong provincial Party Committee, Pham Manh Cuong, former Director of Hai Duong province’s Department of Health, and Nguyen Van Trinh, former assistant to a Deputy Prime Minister were sentenced to five years, four years, and four years in prison, respectively, for abusing positions and power while performing official duties.

Other defendants in the COVID-19 kit test scandal received imprison sentences ranging from 24 months to five years and six months in jail./.VNA